Sunday, November 29, 2015

This is a card inspired by a technique I saw from Lauren Bassen (HERE). Somebody in Blogland used this technique and linked to the tutorial... but I can't remember who it was and I can't find her in my history! Sorry, and thank you! FOUND HER! Tara at Inking On The Edge... thanks!

First, may I say that this card is not "me," but that I believe it will be appreciated by the right recipient.

I used a tutorial by Lauren Bassen (HERE)... someone else in our corner of Blogland used this tutorial and linked it, but I checked my history and I can't figure out who it was! APOLOGIES... and thank you.... FOUND HER! Tara at Inking On the Edge! Thanks for sharing the link!

Used Tim Holtz's Distress inkpads in Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar for the background, as well as his Distress Stain in Brushed Pewter for an icy-icicle look

Studs are from Evershine

The ornaments were made with punched vellum, coated roughly with Tim Holtz Distress embossing ink and powdered with Custer's Last Stamp in silver

Saturday, November 28, 2015

This is a card I made with a "lost and then found" xmas/winter SEI die-cut pack... I'm so clever that I packed xmas crafting stuff... you won't believe this... in my xmas stuff! Omg, gone in the attic for a year... cold, lonely... now to be appreciated by (someone)... :)

Supplies and notes:

Like I said, SEI die-cuts

The rising moon was made by using a large hole-punch as a stencil (inspired by some of Monika's recent work of stamping through a circle-- thanks for the inspiration, woman!), then laying Tim Holtz's Holiday Knit stencil over it and running some Teresa Collins modeling paste through it. After I gently removed the stencil(s), I sprinkled the paste with-- you guessed it: my new fave glitter: Distress glitter in Antique Linen

I used a rejected feather card. I created the feathers probably a month ago (Frantage over Teresa Collins modeling paste through a Balzer stencil), and in my haste to melt the frantage, I toasted the card.

Fast-forward to today. I was sifting through the many, many scraps and saw it. Damn, it looks cool. So I decided I'd resurrect it. Because the card itself was literally toasted a nice golden-brown, I went with the aged look and dabbed some Distress inkpad Frayed Burlap ink on it. Then I edged the card with some Antiqued Bronze Distress Stain.

The "Fantastic" is a Recollections stamp stamped with a combination of Color Box Archival in Glacier Lake (double-tapped) and dabbed with the Antiqued Bronze Distress Stain.

Here's a little story: the music-note tissue paper came in a magical, unexpected package from an amazing crafter. ♡♡♡ It was the wrapping. I was experimenting a little this morning and ended up painting some Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Victorian Velvet and Spun Sugar on the backside, some I painted right on, some I dabbed through a Tim Holtz Faded Dot stencil. I glued the dried circles with Mod Podge, and kind of squished it flat.

The wire is Darice

The sentiment is Recollections, stamped with MementoLuxe, double-tapped

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

I was inspired by the red flourishes and the banners. I went with the brown base, as well. I did have a plaid bow and tiny trees ready to roll, but they really didn't go with my set-up, so I let them sit. They'll show up somewhere-- maybe tomorrow, maybe years from now!

Supplies and notes:

The tag is an old library card (derrr) and I used Vintage Photo Distress Stain, smooshed on

Twine is from the Dollar Tree

Bird from Jolee's Boutique

Flourishes are Tim Holtz Grungeboard painted with Fired Brick Distress Paint, then touched up with Distress glitter in Antique Linen (and let me tell you: this Antique Linen glitter was worth every cent... it is such a nice color... pale, pale silvery-gold. It is so nice.)

The paper for the banners is from an Anna Griffin paper pack from years ago called "Calico Christmas." I edged each with Vintage Photo Distress Stain, then painted with Ranger crackle.

I have few deer accoutrements, and even fewer that would fit on this tag-- I think that's why I put this off for so long. I knew I wanted to come back to it, so I looked at it again and considered some of the elements that I enjoyed about her tag to identify what really inspired me.

The tag gave me a sweater-like feel, so I made my background look like a sweater also by using a Martha Stewart stencil that kind of looks like heavy stitches to me. Of course I love the gold glitter of Linda's tag, so I incorporated some of that. Finally I took cues from the reindeer's collar and added greenery, red ribbon, & a bell.

Supplies:

I used a Martha Stewart stencil with Teresa Collins modeling paste for the background. I then rubbed some Walnut Stain Distress Paint with my fingers over the top of the stenciling, and once that dried, I added some Vintage Photo Distress Stain, with a couple iterations of spray, dry, spray, dry...

I pasted Mod Podge here and there over the tag with my finger and added some Distress glitter in Antique Linen

Edged the hand-cut sentiment banners (scraps with Vintage Photo on them) with Color Box chalk in Creamy Brown. "Happy Holidays" was written with my Zig Emboss Writer and embossed with Stampendous EP in Green Tinsel.

The leafy flourishes are the punch-outs from an old K & Company page meant for a shadowbox... now I'm using the page as a stencil, and these guys were the by-product... dabbed the backsides with Peeled Paint Distress Stain

Monday, November 23, 2015

As usual, I started out with an old library card that I was using for some technique practice. I found this cool tutorial (@ Bumblebees and Butterflies) on Pinterest and decided I'd play a little... so much fun! I didn't stray far from the tutorial instructions, and I encourage you all to check the page out!

I made the trees by cutting up a scrap page I was testing my Aged Mahogany Distress Stain on, and I splattered them with some Aged Bronze Distress Stain

I used the following Distress Paints: Antique Linen, Bundled Sage, and Spiced Marmalade.

The purple seam binding is from my stash-- I selected it to bring out the old date stamps.

This is my first entry into a Mod Squad Challenge, with the challenge being pattern your own paper.

And here's the rizzle-dizzle (real deal):

This is my husband's beloved hound, Millie. She is a 3-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound, which are used as hunting dogs, but not by us-- she's a pet. She was found abandoned as a pup in the woods by one of my hubs' colleagues, and hubs fell in dog-love. These pix are all action shots from today, taken over the span of 5 minutes! Hubs is working in the woods with her... isn't she cute?

Here's the stamp (please note the chew marks-- so funny [kind of]-- when Millie was young, she got into my stamps and chewed a few up, including the first stamp I ever carved. When she got to this stamp of her pretty face, she only nibbled the edge... is that amazing? What a brat!):

Supplies and notes:

This is the second stamp I've ever carved and it is by far the best of mine. I carved it using my first SU! kit.

I embossed the stamp using Tim Holtz's Distress embossing pad with green Stampendous embossing powder, which has a very nice silvery sheen which refuses to be caught on camera.

The holly berries were made with a cut toothpick dipped into Fired Brick Distress paint

I wrote the sentiment on a scrap piece of cardstock using a Zig Emboss Writer and Recollections embossing powder in Ebony. I edged it with Color Box chalk in charcoal.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

The theme for TT is "Shopping Spree," to be interpreted any way participants choose. I just so happened to go on a craft shopping-spree before I read about the challenge! I went to a few chain stores just to replenish items (black ink, kraft cards, and clear EP--I have two clear EP'S and they just get speckled over time...). Of course I can't walk by sale stickers without stopping or leaving without some paper or a Tim Holtz ink product... Here's the loot:

It's Addicted To CAS's 3rd birthday! Their current challenge code word is "dimension." I think this card has great dimension, what with the background, then wires, then popped-up focal point.

OPINION POLL: I was so close to buying an embossing/ cutting machine while shopping, but I think I'll hold out and ask for the one I truly want for Xmas. Any input? I'm leaning towards a Sizzix Big Shot for my entry-level machine...

This started out as a card... I changed it to a bottle tag and my husband was like, "I like that wayyyy better." Me too.

I suspect that most participants in this challenge are singing a certain song... initially, I was going to create a card based around that song, but then decided that the cute little holiday fox was too classy for that with his little holly berries...

The fox is a Jolee's Boutique sticker

The scalloped circle is the reverse-side of an old October Afternoon calender die-cut, edged in TH Peeled Paint

The cardinal is a pre-pasted punch out from some forgotten book... a teacher friend was cleaning her classroom one summer and found a stack of random bird-related awesomeness! This bird has been waiting for a couple decades to get some lovin'!

The background polka dots were the result of Tim Holtz's Distress Paint in Fired Brick through a Heidi Swapp stencil over Core'dinations cardstock

Thursday, November 19, 2015

This is a card I could have worked on for hours... the possibilities were endless! I settled in the interest of posting in the next hundred years, but truly should have made two at once, just to have the extras around to play with in the future.

(All the same card... I just could not get a good image! I went into my daughter's room to see if her lighting was better-- with the scrap-shack almost complete, I'm already envisioning a corner dedicated to a homemade light box!)
I am entering this into three challenges: Clear It Out and Creative Corner... both are hosting a black+white+(one color) challenge. My additional color is clearly yellow gold. I used the sketch from Sketch Saturday, after I realized I was heading that direction!